Mayo councillor says Fianna Fáil must ‘learn lessons’ from Gavin withdrawal

A SENIOR Fianna Fáil councillor in Mayo has said that a ‘root and branch examination’ of the party’s presidential candidate selection process must take place following the withdrawal of Jim Gavin as the party’s candidate.

The Fianna Fáil party has been left reeling following the shock decision by the former Dublin GAA manager to withdraw his nomination following reports that he owed a former tenant €3,300.

The timing of the decision, just 19 days from the October 24 polling date, means it is too late for the party to put forward an alternative candidate, leaving the race for the presidency between Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys and Independent Catherine Connolly.

Ballinrobe-based councillor Damien Ryan, who is the Fianna Fáil party whip on Mayo County Council, told The Mayo News that lessons have to be learned regarding the selection process which resulted in Mr Gavin being the party candidate.

“To be honest with you they [leadership] have their own ideas and the parliamentary party made a decision but the process on this occasion has to be looked at in the context of how short it was and that there was an endorsement of one over the other.

“Maybe the process should have started sooner but we were not spoiled for choice in relation to candidates either. There weren’t many candidates showing their hand and there are lessons to be learned in all of that. I won’t leave it [blame] at anyone’s door but in the aftermath there will be discussions and meetings and then we need to figure how we do it better on the next occasion,” he said.

Nominations

ONLY Gavin and Cork-based MEP Billy Kelleher sought a party nomination and it was only the parliamentary party who were entitled to vote. Cllr Ryan said that in future, councillors and party members have to have a say in the selection process.

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“Councillors should have had an input and the members should have been entitled to it as well. That needs to change. The councilors are the first port of call when it comes to organising events and functions and canvassing for elections and all that goes with it. We certainly are entitled to have an input into it as elected representatives and the membership as well,” he said.

The future of Micheál Martin as party leader has been called into doubt after he publicly backed Mr Gavin ahead of his county man Billy Kelleher and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who had expressed an interest in running.

While he does not believe that Martin will be under immediate pressure as leader, Cllr Ryan believes that there needs to be a root and branch discussion on what went wrong.

“Anybody can get something wrong and it is not just down to the leadership. At the end of the day we need to look at this collectively and there is a need for a root and branch examination and discussion on it and all public representatives will be making their view known,” he said adding that he would prefer it if the party did not endorse any of the two remaining candidates.

“Fianna Fáil people will make up their minds one way or the other and they are as well to keep it open," he said.

Critical

CLLR Ryan was also critical of suggestions that other Independent candidates were blocked from receiving a nomination from Mayo County Council, saying he was never asked by any of them for one.

“There was nothing stopping me or our party from giving a nomination to anybody but the fact that no candidate contacted the public representatives says a lot about the candidates who were thinking about going in the first place.

“They were not blocked and it was their own doing. We would have gladly endorsed a candidate if they had sought fit to approach our councilors and ask for that vote. If a vote is worth getting it is worth asking for. They can winge and moan but the process is the process and if they were thinking of going they should have been out of the starting blocks a lot sooner.”

Meanwhile, approximately 330 postal votes from Mayo have been sent to people who will not be able to vote in their own polling station.

The postal votes for the Mayo constituency were issued and posted on Friday morning by the Returning Officer, Dr Anne-Marie Courell.

The breakdown of the postal votes include eight diplomats; two anonymous, 68 Defence Forces personnel, 209 disabled people, 16 Gardaí and 18 to people by virtue of their occupation.